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:dlished under authority of the national and ) 

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..-iX A PLAIN 

STATEMENT OF FACTS FROM THE RECORD, 

SHOWING GEN. TAYLOR TO HAVE RECEIVED §74,861 01 OF "ALLOWANCES," 
BESIDES HIS REGULAR PAY, AND GENERAL CASS TO HAVE RECEIVED NOT 
ONE CENT, EXCEPT FOR ACTUAL SERVICES RENDERED THE GOVERNMENT. 

« Hctributive Justice always overtaken lUe Evil-doer,'* 

The Whig party have undertaken, through ' SECOND AUDITOR'S REPORT, 

fraud and misrepresentation, to smuggle Brevet pay and emoluments . . *»^.564 04 

^ == Double rations . • • 12,bO.> OU 

theinselres into power. They have pub- 

,. , , , , y. . , THIRD AUDITOR'S REPORT. 

lished a most gross and malicious misstate- 

mo,,, of the amount allowed G.„. Cass for Jr.T.SfofqSSf.nX? ! 'f™ '» 
his services as Governor, and Commission- Per liiem allowance on court martial 

duty • • • " 
er of Indian AlFuirs, in the Northwest, ^ 

wliile they have studiously concealed the S2i>,70S « 
enormous amounts drawn from the treas- 2d. Allowances mixed up wiili his pay, 
ury by Gen. Zachary Taylor, in the ^vay of under the head of •' Pay and Emolument*"." 
emoluments and allowances, of an office .irctlonspenlay aslieuti^nant andcap- 
ivbirb hp has hpld for fnrtv vp-irs Rut tain, from Miy 3, 1S08. to Sepfr 3, 
wnicn nc nas neid lor loriy years, wui isi2_ i,5><5 days, and 6,3io rations 

they have been found out, in all their at 20 cents .... 91.268 »o 
n- , ■ IT ■ • 1 .L 1 ration for one servant for same time 3l70> 

eflorts to deceive. Honesty is always the Allowance as pay for 1 servant, same 

best poliey. Wliilc the Democratic party time, at i?? per month • _ • ^^'^^ 

*^ ■' „M -' Allowance, clothing for same at $2 50 

rises ii! Its strength, and triumphs, Whig- j-t-r mouth . ■ 180 27 

eiy, delected in its tricks, droops and die.s. * from this snm the amount of brevet emclu- 

We as!, the r.tiention ol all candid men mcnts should b- deducted, as they are mhr^ced 

. , , , in flic next cluss, whiol- ar.- made up according 

to the lOilowing statements, taken from the (^ ^is brevet rank when h.> was in command, ad 

books of record in the accounting offices received "pay and emolumv.iU' in accordance 

■ . with that rank. , .,.,., 

of the GovKi-anient. in n ashingtoa CU}'; | The value oi' the "quartet* and ruel m kuMi 

1 ^ . n 1 T" 1 > It n ' „ »■) lurni^hed to him, when he di I ii't draw com.hii 

and, first, General Taylor's " allowances, [".'.'^'^ iherefor, we have Ueeu unable to asr.erUia 

over and above his regular p-ay : it .ouldjliowever, amount toa'considetabi'- .jm 



V- 



'\)i^, 



\' 



■\' 



1 ration per day as major, from Sepl'r 
5th, 1812, to April 20, 1819—2,417 

days, and 9,668 rations at 20 cts. . $1,933 60 

2 rations for 2 servauts for same time 966 80 
Allowance as pay for same, same time, 

at $7 per month each . . 1,112 48 

Allowance, clothing of same, at $2 50 

per mouth each . . 397 31 

Allowance, forage lor 3 horses, same 

time, at $3 per month each . 1,898 89 

5 rations per day as lieutenant colonel, 
from April 20, 1819, to April 20th, 
1829—3,650 days, and 18,250 rations 

at 20 cents .... 3,650 00 
2 rations for two servants, same time 1,460 00 
Allowance as pay for 2 servants, same 

time, at $7 per month each . 1,680 00 

Allowance for clothing; for same, at 

$2 50 per month each . . 600 00 

Allowance, forage for 3 horses, same 

time, at ;»'S per month each . 2,880 00 

6 rations per day as colonel, from Apr. 
20, 1829, to Dec'r 25, 1837—3,169 

daj's, and 19,014 rations at 20 cts. . 3,802 80 

2 rations for 2 servants same time . 1,267 60 
Allowance, pay for same, same time, 

at $7 per month each . . 1,458 60 

AHowaoce for clothing for same, same 

time, at $'2 50 per month each . 520 92 

Allowance, forage for 4 hor3e9, same 
time, at $8 per month each . 3,333 96 

12 rations per day as brigadier general, 
from Dec'r 25, 1837, to June 29th, 
1846—3,106 days, and 37,272 ra- 
tions at 20 cents . . . 7,454 40 

3 rations for 3 servants, for same time l'863 60 
Allowance as pay for same, same time, 

at $7 per month each . . 2 144 41 

Allowance for clothing for same, at 

$■2 50 per month each . . 785 86 

Allowance, forage for 5 horses, same 

time, at $8 per month each . 4,085 97 

15 rations per day as major general, 

from June 29, 1846, to Dec'r 31st, 

1847—551 days, and 8,263 rations 

at 20 cents .... 

4 rations for 4 servants, for same time 
Allowance, pay for same, same time, 

at $7 per month each 
Allowance for clothing for same, at 

$2 50 per month each 
Allowance for forage for 7 horses, for 

same time, at f 8 per month eacli . 



1,653 00 

440 80 

507 20 

ISl 15 

1,016 36 

$49,155 74 

Total of both classes . ^74,864 04 

Gen. Taylor's last account for tlie first 
hair of the present year — which we should 
be glad to have the privilege of publish- 
ing — shows him to he in the receipt of all 
the allowances of a Major General as above 
stated, and double rations in addition — ma- 
king thirty rations a day for which he is 
now allowed. We have no ribald com- 
meiils to make rcs|)ccting those allowan- 



cps, like those of Mr. Stewart respecting 
the allowances made to Ceneral Cass. — 
Willing to let the people judge for them- 
selves, we simply place the facts before 
them. 

Thus it will be seen by the people, that 
Gen. Taylor, in addition to his pay as an 
offieer of the army, which he has held all 
his life, has drawn from the treasury the 
enormous sum of Seventy-four thousand 

EIGHT HUNDKED AND SIXTY-FOUR DOLLARS 
AND FOUR CENTS ! 

But let us look a little further. What 
pay does Gen. Taylor now get, in a time 
of profound peace, while standing as the 
Whig candidate for the presidency ? Here 
it is : 

He receives pay for a house at a cost of 
^1,410 per year ; for four servants to wait 
on bim, (no doubt owned by himself,) at 
$214 per year each, making f^S56 per year 
for servants; for ninety-six cords wood, 
at $8 per cord, making $768 per year for 
wood ; for seven horses to ride, at $672 
per year, and is allowed thirty rations per 
day, making $2,160 per year, in addition 
to his regular salary of $200 per month, 
making $2,400 per year. All of these items 
added together will make the enormous 
sum of $8,296 per year of the people's 
money — more by $2,296 than is received 
by the Secretary of State, t!ie highest othce 
within the gift of the President, as is shown 
by the following table taken from the pub- 
lic records : 

PAY AND ALLOWANCES OF MAJ. GENEt 
KAL TAYLOR PER MONTH. 

Pay .... . $200 00 

Allowance for quarters, 8 rooms, at $15 120 00 

Allowance for fuel, 8 cords of wood for 
self, and 2-3 of a cord for four servants, 
at $8 per lord .... 

Allowance for subsistence for self, thir- 
ty RATIONS PER DAY, at 20 ccnts per 
ration ..... 

Allowance for four servants, 4 rations per 
day, at 20 cents 

Allowance for clothing for same; at $2 50 
each ..... 

Allowance as pay for same, at $8 each . 

Allowance for forage for 7 horses, at $8 
each ..... 

Making . • . 691 33 

Wliat think you of thi^., who have to toil 

and labor for the small pittance of from 

one to two dollars per day, and to earn an 

honest support by the "sweat of the brow.^" 



69 33 



180 00 


24 


00 


10 


00 


32 


00 


56 


00 



And ypl, you are tolil hy ilic Wliij; 
leaders thai Gen. Taylor is llie "/;ro^>/(''s 
candidalc." Gon. Taylor with Ins cpaii- 
letts on his shoulders and his sword !)y hi^ 
side, surrounded by his soldiers wii!i their 
bayonets, and living in this style, the peo- 
ple's condidate ! C'an uiddusliin^' :m|)U- 
dence go farther. 

Mr. Stewart in his spoerh, slal. >• that 

V General Taylor's regular pay has been 

."^$93, 4*^1 SI. To make his case a fair (lie, he 

> no doubt reduced this acgreoate \^ tlie 

'lowest possible scale. But assuniinij it 

ij to be true, the addition of this amount, 

■$93,4'21 61 regular pay, die allowances of 

$7-1,804 proved by the record, will make 

the handsome sum of ;jf,l()S,"i85 SI — one 

HUNDRED A.N!) S IXTY-F,Ic:ilT TItOl S A.NP 
TWO UlNUKED A.M) EIGHTY-FIVK DOLLaKS 

AND EiGHTV-1-oUR CENTS, received by 
General Taylor. 

Now, let all who have heen deccivcil by the uiis- 
statemeiitsof Aiulrew Stewart, reaii the lollowiiiK 
plain and simple (acts, (lurnishcd at the request oi" 
the Hon. Mr. Woodrult of New Urleaiis, by a 
gentleman well quaiitied by experience and per- 
sonal knowledge to do it) in regard to the nraonnt 
paid to Gen. Cass by the government, for purcha.s- 
ing from the Indians the great Western Territory, 
which now comprises sovereign States and is 
covered with populous cities. 

Geohgetowx, Sept. 9, 1S4S. 
Hon. C. Woodruff, ot New Orleans: 

Dear Sir: Incompliance with your request 
to furnish you the facts in reference to the allow- 
ances made to Governor Cas.? tor extra lervices 
while Governor of IMichigan Territory, with a 
view to a perfect und-rstanding, I have sk-'tched 
the following statement, pie.licated almost exclu- 
sively upon iny own personal knowledge while in 
otfice, and fully suitained by the public records 
I'or every item. 

In the year IS 1.3, without application or the 
least expectation of it, I was invited into the 
Second Auditor's otfice, connected with the War 
Department, and continued uninterruf)tedl> to the 
time of my resignation, SIst December, 1S."31. 
By the act ol' Congress ot 24th February, 1819, 
the adjusf.raent of all accounts connected with 
Indian aifairs, with the exception of th^se apper- 
taining to Indian trad--, was made the duty of the 
Second Auditor, by whom the whole was exclu- 
sively assigned to my direction, subject to lii« re- 
visal; so that every allowance to Govemoi- Cass, 
from his appointment as governor, in October, 
1813, to the time of his appointmeni as Secretary 
of War, 1st August, 1831, was acted upon and 
virtually passed while I was in the office attached 
to the War Department. 

The first claim presented by Governor Cass, as 
superintendent ex officio of Indian affairs, in vir- 
tue of his appointment as governor, and submitted 
to the Hon. John C. Calhoun, then Secretary of 
War, in October, 1821, and allowed by him in part. 



wa.H tur the >iunt of ;i^l7,tflO Ol, composed uf ibe 
following charges, viz : 
]st chiiri^e—H years' com - 

[leiisation as tuperinlen- 

ileiii I'x officio uf Indian 

allairs frouj tli<' !»lli Oct., 

1«13. I., the 9lhof Oct., 

1S21, at the rate of 8l.- 

.MlO per annum, ninking ?12,000 00 • 

l-'rom wliirti wa* deducti'd 

liy order ol Mr. Calhoun. 

as overpay merits to C. 

I.arnard. Secretary, in 

IS 11-' 15, it2.Sl 3;{; to J. 

.*>l<H-.kton, Secretary, in 

isl(i--l7, gllO; and to 

(». Hru;h, clerk, ifll, in 

1>^1!) . . 462 33 



2'/ c/ior/je— being for 10 
rations a day for 2,920 
days, making 29,200 ra- 
tions, at 20 cents a ra- 
tion .... 

From which was deducted 
fiTO rations allowed to 
Wm. Wooiibridge, acting 
governor, 57 days, dur- 
ing the absence of Gov. 
Cass from the Territory, 
at 20 cents; and also 3,- 
500 rations, at 20 cents a 
ration, drawn by Gover- 
nor Cass from the public 
stores . . ■ • 

Amount allowed by Mr. 
Calhoun 

This sum allowed him for 
rations, in continuation 
of the preceding charge, 
from October, 1^21, to 
391 h May, 1822 

This sumallowed him. be- 
ing in continuation of his 
salary as superintendent 
ex officio of Indian atliiru 
from October, 1X21, to 
the 31st July, HSl 

This sum allowed him for 
travelling to and from, 
and attending Indian trea- 
ties, Sic 

And also this amount for 
his servicer and respon- 
sibility in paying over 
and transmitting to the 
several distant agenn, 
and settling and transmit- 
ting to the W;\r Depart- 
ment their several ac- 
counts, at til? rate of 
.51,500- per annum for 9 
years and 7 months 

The total amount allowed 
Governor Cass for about 
18 years' services and 
expenses, pecuniary re- 
spoiiBibilily.and personal 
risk . . ■ • 



11.637 67 



5,840 00 



814 00 



5,026 00 
61,663 67 



416 00 



14,715 00 



13,012 00 



14,375 00 



27,S85 00 



569,08167 



Tlio foregoing allowances were made, and fioal- 
ly passed to tlje credit of Governor Cass, under 
the following circumstances ; and here let nae re- 
quest particular attention to date?, and it will at 
a glance show the injustice done Gov. Cass and 
Hon John C. Calhoun.'from a misapprehension ot 
time and circumstances. 

The first and second allowances— .'$16,563 57 
and .S'^16— were vested rights in and by virtue of 
the decision of President Madison, communicated 
to Gov. Cass soon after assuming the duties of 
governor of Michigan Territory and of superin- 
tendent ex officio of Indian ati'airs. It was mere- 
ly reimbursing the expenses consequent to the 
ottices, and therefore cannot properly be denomi- 
nated " extra allowances." 

Upon presentation of the claim of S'16,463 67, 
being the charge of .•ffl.SOO per annum to cover 
cost of clerk hire, office rent, fuel, &c., it would 
have been admitted by the accounting officer as a 
matter of course, the like allowance having been 
made to Gov. Wm. Clark ; but, for the claim for 
rations, being of a different character, the whole 
was submitted to Mr. Calhoun, who, after due 
consideration and critical examination, allowed it ; 
and it was placed in my hands by the Second Au- 
ditor for settlement, accompanied by the follow- 
ing directioas in Mr. Calhoun's handwriting : 

" Governor Cass to be allowed as superinten- 
dent of Indian affairs .$'1,500 a year ip like man- 
ner as Gov. Clark, but to be debited with all charges 
for fuel, quarters, and clerk hire; 10 rations a day 
at 20 cents a ration to be allowed him, to be debited 
with all issues to him at the rate of 20 cents per 
ration." 

The account was adjusted in conformity there- 
with, and the ;fJ16,563 67 found due to Governor 
Cass as stated. 

The next allowance, ,^^416, being a continuance 
of his allowance for rations from the day the pre- 
ceding claim was charged up to, was of course 
admitted up the 29th May, 1822, Mr. Calhoun 
having advised Gov. Cass that it would not be 
allow'ed beyond that day ; and no claim was ever 
subsequently made by Gov. Cass, and these were 
the only claims ever submitted to Mr. Calhoun by 
Gov. Cass on the subject. Accompanying this 
claim, for the consideration of Mr. Calhoun, was 
the communication of President Madison, through 
the Secretary of War, the Hon. James Monroe, as 
per following extract : 

October 24, 1S14. 

"He, (the President,) however, is of opinion 
that you should be remunerated for these addi- 
tional expenses, either by a special appropriation 
or out of the contingent fund for the Indian de- 
partment." 

Also a letter from Gen. Alex. Macomb, stating 
that his pay as a major general commanding (six 
to seven thousand dollars a year) barely met his 
annual expenses for the time Governor Cass 
claimed the .-ffl.SOO. 

Also the following schedule of the price of pro- 
visions during the same time, from Colonel Hunt, 
viz : 

Washington, .30th Oct., 1821. 
"Detroit has, since the conr.menccment of the 
war and until within two years, been the dearest 
place in the United States. Every article of life 
has been enormous. The average price of flour 
^12 per barrel ; pork g35 per barrel ; whiskey $2 



per gallon ; butter 50 cents per pound by the 
firkin ; eggs 50 cents per dozen on an average, and 
frequently a dollar has been paid for them per 
dozen ; $3 for a turkey ; wine ^2 per gallon ; 
corn .;y2 per bushel ; I have paid that price for 
500 bushels at a time ; oats 75 cents per bushel ; 
hay ;^30 per ton ; loaf sugar 50 cents per pound ; 
coffee 62^ cents per pound ; Hyson tea .^3 per 
pound; and other articles in proportion. Having 
been in merchantile business during the whole 
time, I can speak of these subjects from my own 
knowledge. " HENRY J. HUNT." 

The allowance of $14,715 for the claim of $\-, 
500 per annum to reimburse expenses for clerk 
hire, quarters, fuel, Jk,c., from October, 1821 — the 
day to which it was charged up to in the account 
for $16,563 67— to the 31st July, 1831, and was 
admitted as a matter of course by the then Second 
Auditor, Major Wm. B. Lewis, before Governor 
Cass assumed the dutif s of Secretary of War ; for 
though commissioned 1st of August, 1831, he did 
not qualify till the 9th, aud did net officiate till the 
12tli August, 1831. It could not have been al- 
lowed by Mr. Calhoun, for he had been Vice 
President for the six years previous, four years 
with President Adams and two years with Presi- 
dent Jackson , and for the reasons stated in the 
preceding allowances, cannot properly be denomi- 
nated "extra compensation." 

The next item, §13,012, for travelling to and 
from, and attending upwards of 20 Indian treaties, 
&c., from July, 1814, to 10th February, 1829, was 
allowed in conformity with the rules and regula- 
tions acted upon by the honorable the Secretaries 
of War, Armstrong, Crawford, Calhoun, Barbour, 
and Porter. Mr. Crawford, in the year 1816, in 
the settlement of Gen. Harrison's account, fixed 
it at $3 per day and the expenses, by the follow- 
ing endorsement in his handwriting on the ac- 
count : 

" 10th January, 1816. 

"The compensation of Indian commissioner 
has been settled at $S per day and the expenses. 
" WM. H. CRAWFORD." 

Mr. Calhoun reduced it to $S per day and no 
expenses, when actually engaged, and Gov. Cass 
never charged or received more. 

The next item, $14,375, is composed of two 
allowances, .$10,500 and $3,.S75, being a commu- 
tation for the charge of 2^ per cent, commission 
on the disbursements of large sums of money to 
distant Indian agents, and for superintending the 
agencies of Piqifa, Ohio, of Fort Waye, Indiana 
and of Chicago, Illinois, being without the limits 
of his proper superintendency ; and not appertain- 
ing to his duties as governor or superintendent 
ex officio, he was not bound to perform them. 
The $10,.500 were allowed under the following 
circumstances. In December, 1828, Gov. Cass 
presented the following statement : 
" The United States to Lewis Cass, Br. 

For his services in superintending the Indian 
ao-encies of Piqua, in Ohio, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 
and of Chicago, Illinois, at $250 each per annum 
for the years' 1822-'23-'24-'25-'26-27, and 1828, 
(seven years) . . " . $5,250 00 

Disbursement in the same years, 
and for the same agencies, the sum 
of .$364,942 29 at 2 1-2 per cent . . 9.123 55 

$14,373 55 



On presenting this claim to the honorable the 
Secretary ot War, I'. B. Forti-r, he liesitaled. 
Governor Cass voltintaiily proposed to be allowed 
the specitic sum ol ,Sl,."»iio a year in lull liipiida- 
tion of the claim ; and to ohviaU- any lUmbls on 
the part of the Secretaiy in to it.-i legality, he pro- 
jioseil Iiis Fubmillmp it to the opinion of Ha- At- 
tc.ney General, the Hon. Mr. Wirt. Thi- |)rono- 
sition was accepted, and the i|ueation subiui'ted 
to the Attorfiey General, who decided in its favor, 
and returned it with the fnllowini; opinion : 
"Office of Attornkv (JK.VEBAr.. 
December 12, 1328. 

•« Sir : I understand that the tacts stated in Gov. 
Ca.'s'.s letter of 2Gth N'ovt niber to be adniiltcd ; 
and if so, I can j)! rceive no groniid on which his 
claim can be properly re^isteil. His salary as 
governor is a compensation for his sei vices as j;ov. 
ernor. But the services for which he claim.'* do 
not belonj; to lii-i duties as (governor <d Michi^jan 
Territory; and havinsj been employed by the ;jtiv. 
ernment to perfonn these services, he has a fair 
claim tor them on the principles of a tfu/rntum me- 
ruit. The facts conceded, his rij;ht, I think, is 
undeniable. 

'* 1 have the honor to remain, sir. your obeilii-nt 
servant, " W.M WIRJ-. 

"Hon. P. B. PoRTEK, Secretary of War." 

It was thereupon admitted by the Secretary of 
War, who, in Fcbiuary, 1S29, handed it to Gov- 
ernor Cass, with the following endorsement on 
the account: 

"Governor Cass having:; voluntarily proposed 
to accept an annual salary of .'fftl.oOO fur the 
seven years mentioned in the above account, an<l 
amounting to the sum of ^lO.odO, as a couim-ita- 
tion for both the claims thiMcin specified, the o:l'er 
is deemed reasonable; and he will accordincfly be 
allowed the said sum of .S10,500 in full satisfaction 
of the services and commissions on disbuise- 
ments, as above spncitied." 

At this time Gen. Jackson had been elected 
President of the United States : there w as an 
annual pressure tor the settleuient of claims in the 
Siecond Auditor's olhce. It was observed by 
Gov. Cass; and, upon this co:ninunicatin^ lliis 
allownnce, he remarked that he was in no hurry 
for th"? final adjustment of his accoimt, but tiiat 
he thought it most proper that all unsettled points 
should be deci<led upon by the a Imini.stration 
under which they had occurred; and he left it to 
be anjnsted and passed to his crpdit at a future 
day. In .■\pril. 1^31, upon hi< callin:; to hav^ it 
adjusted and passed lo his credit, tlie then Second 
Auditor, Major Wm B. Lewis, thought propei to 
s\ibinit the decision of the Secretary of War, the 
Hon. P. B. Porter, under 'he opinion of the At- 
torney General, the Hon. Wm. Wirt, to the revisal 
of the Hon. John H. Eaton, then Secretary of 
War, which elicited the following admirable 
opinion • 

" War DErARTMF.vT. 

" I do not consider that I have anything to do 
■with this claim of Governor Cass. It is a claim 
which was submitted to the Secretary ot \Var 
(General Porter) in December 1S2S, and by him 
referred to the Attorney General. On the 12th 
December, the Attorney General decided upon the 
legality of the allowance in a written opinion, 
and returned it to the Secretarj- of War; where- 
upon Gen. Porter, in his handwriting, directs Gov. 
Cass to be credited with the $10,500. 



"I do not conceive tiuti it ii proper /or on* ml- 

ministration to «»•( anide the « Kim •:' ' ' ;i- 
formed act* ol a precoiUnl onr. ."-■ <.i 

of action would make conitanlly on ■ n 

to rer.\auiiiif, aud. il they ple«ii»d, act iuido the 
acts of tbtme who had gone befuM. I><>it.-; und 
undoing, settling nnd unsettling, v 
ijucntly becoui'i the order an<l rub- 
ccidiiig adnuni»tr«iion. "J. H, l...^i... 

rputi ihia drciKioii it wa.i p.ia»fd lo tlin credit 
of Gov. Ciss inoiithH b<'forc he wai com.'niH»ionpd 
Secretary of War— having paired the ordt-al of 
two adininistratioHH, and receiving ihe umpuH- 
tied sanction of both, whig and dfniorral. 

The last iltm {."J't.'^T.'j, which, with the ^10,300, 
constitute the allowa-ice, §1 1.:I7.')) was tiled in 
Ihe ollice by Gov Can l).'liire he <iiijliried M 
Secretary ol War. It would have been-passed to 
his credit ns a matter of <oui«e by the Second 
Auditor, being the balance due him under Uic 
decision in llif preceding allowance of §10..'>0«>, 
hail Hot Gov. Cas.s, \vii!i liis charactrristic ti-elinga 
of delicacy, accompanied it with the following 
endorsement : 

" In the peculiar ponition in which I now stand 
with relation to the department, allhou;:li this 
charge is not only unexceptionable in itself, but 
sippoiled by a previous decision of the War 
De|iartment, yet 1 am willing that it should le- 
main suspen.ied, ar:d not acted on till it can with 
propriety be decided. LKWIS CASS." 

In August, 1S37, the Second Au<lilor being 
desiror.s to close all the accounts in iiis oMicc sus- 
C"|)table of adjustment, t'xik up tlii* claim, noi- 
uitlmanding (Governor Cass was at the time in 
Europe ; and though he had the foregoing deci- 
sion as ti the .'i*Hi.>00. in justir^atioD of passing 
it to the Ciovernor's credit, he submitted it lo the 
revisal of the then .Secretary of War, the Hon. J. 
R. Poinsett, who endorsed it — 

" Indian Oflicc. Ueferred to for examin;«tion 
and report. "J. R. POINSETT." 

The Commissioner of Indian Atiairs examined 
and reported — 

•' It is respectfully recommended that the with- 
in referred cl.-\ims of Governor Cass and Mrs. 
Porter be allowed. " C. A. HARRIS, 

" Commissioner Indian AlFairs. 

" NovE.MUER, 16, isa7." 

The Secretary of War thereupon endorsed — 
«• Allowed. 

"J. R POINSETT." 

This was the last account upon the action of Gov- 
ernor Cass, as governor of M.chinan Territory and 
as superintendent ex officio of Indian allaiis, and 
they were finally closed. 

The foregoiiio is a perfect exposition of 
ail the transactiofis of Governor Cnss in- 
volvpil in ilm inquiiy, and I venture to say 
that the archives of the doparluu nl do not 
contain .1 selileinent that lias p.isscd so 
rigid a scrutiny, so lionorahic to the parties 
concerned. How, and why is it, then, that 
(diarges of Ids having allowed his own ac- 
counts while Secretary, which had been 
prcvion^ly rejected, and that ho had pock- 
eted large sums not sanctioned by law or 
usage, have been sown broadcast through- 



out the country, wlien the public recor.ls, 
at all times open to proper investigation, 
so manifestly prove their incorrectness? 
In regard to the only allowance that can 
properly be d^iominated " extra,'' being 
that of an annual salary of !^1,500 in 
commutation of 2h per cent, on disbuise- 
mcnts, and for services to a much Iniger 
amount not appertaining to his duties of 
governor, nor of superintendent ex officio 
of Indian affairs, and to which he would 
have been by the opiniun of the Attorney 
General, the Hon. William Wirt, legally 
entitled, so far from his having allowed il 
himself while Secretary of War, the fore- 
going extracts from the files of the ofHce 
undeniably prove that, from feelings of 
delicacy, he studiously refrained from any 
personal interference in the case, and that 
it was allowed and passed to his crdit un- 
der the sanction, in writing, of the hono- 
rable the Secretary of War, P. B. Porter, 
and the written opinion of the Hon. Wm. 
Wirt, the Attorney General under the 
administration of President Adams, and the 
decision of the Hon. J. H. Eaton, Secre- 
tary of War under the administration of 
President Jackson, and also by the hono- 
rable the Secretary of War, J. R. Poinsett, 
under the administration of President Van 
Buren ; it is also clearly demonstrated that 
every claim by Governor Cass was acted 
upon and virtually allowed before he qual- 
ified as Secretary of War, and that the 
Hon. J. C. Calhoun never made any al- 
lowance other than the first and second, as 
hereinbefore stated, .S16,5G.3 67 and $416, 
amounting to $16,979 97. 

'I'he foregoing embraces the whole mat- 
ter of your inquiry. You have the evi- 
dence before you. You can make (no 
iloubt correctly) your own deductions and 
application. 

Wiih assurnncer. of high consideration, 
I am, very respectfully, your obedient .•ser- 
vant WiM. Steuart. 

Th.e allowances made to Governor Cass, 
as may hereby be seen, were throughout 
based upon principles laid down by a whig 
administration, and the action of the suc- 
ceeding administrations was simply carry- 
ing out those principles. 

In rendering the important services to 
the government for eighteen years, as 
Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the 
Northwest, Gen. Cass never received pay 
from the government sufficient to meet his 



actual expenses. Let the peo|)le remem- 
ber, that in that time, Gen Cass formed 
T\VKi\TV-ONE TREATIES, purchased more 

than ONE HUNDRED MILLIONS OF ACRES 

OF LAND, worth to the government more 

than FIVE HUNDRED MILLIONS of DOLLARS. 

He travelled thousands of miles on foot 
and in liis bark canoe, creetino- the In- 
(lians, preventing war, preserving peace, 
and converting the wilderness into the 
hsppy abode of civilized life. 

What treaty did Gen. Taylor ever form } 
When did he ever prevent a war with the 
Indians? When did he ever purchase a 
foot of land for the government ? What 
capacity has he shown for the office of 
President ? These questions should be 
well and seriously considered. 

Gen. Cass is acknowledged by all, to 
be a wise and able statesman as well as a 
brave and gallant officer. He is honest, 
he is capable, he is faithful to the Consti- 
tution. 



Gensral Cass in favar of providing- relief to the 
BufTering people of Ireland and Scotland. 

The enemies of Gen. Cass are making 
charges against him (^which of course they 
cannot prove) in relation to his being un- 
friendly or opposed to the Irish and other 
foreign adopted citizens. On the 26lh Feb- 
rtiary, 1847, during the discussion in the 
United States Senate upon the following 
bill, he made the accompanying most beau- 
tiful and eloquent remarks, to which we 
most cordially invite the attention of every 
Irishman, wiio cannot, after their perusal, 
fail to admit that he is their warm friend. 

A Gill to provide some relief for the suffering 
people of Ireland and Scotland. 

Be it enacted, &,c.. That the President of the 
United States be, anil he hereby is, authorized to 
cause to be purchased such provisions as he may 
deem suitable and jnoper, and to cause the same 
to be transported and tendered, in the name of the 
Government of the United States to that of Great 
Britain, for the relief of the people of Ireland and 
Scotland, suffering from the great calamity of scar- 
city and famine. 

Sec. 2. .Ind be it further enacted, Th.it the sum 
of five hundred thousand dollars be, and the same 
is hereby, appropriated out of any money in the 
treasury not otherwise appropriated, to carry into 
eliect this act. 

Sk.c. o. ./lud be il further enacted. That the Pre- 
sident of the United States be, and he is hereby 
authorized, at his iliscretion, to employ any of the 
public ships of the United iStates for the transpor- 
tation of the provisions to be purchased as atore- 
said. 

Mr. Cass said, as one member of thi^ 



body, he felt obliged to the Sonntor IrDtn 
Kentucky for tho motion ho had submillcd, 
and for llie u|)i)r()pri;itc luniarks with 
which he had introduced it. He has 
(continued Mr. C.) expressed my senti- 
ments, but with an eloquence pecidiarly 
liis own. While physical want is un- 
known in our couiilry, the Angel of Death 
is striking down the famishing population 
of Europe, especially the sullfring people 
of Ireland. The accounts which reach 
us from that country indicate a state of 
distress, in extent ami degree, far exceed- 
ing any previous ex|)ericncc in modern 
times. It is a case beyond the reach of 
private charity, lis fi)niitains are dryiiia 
up before the magnitude of the evil, his 
a national calamity, and calls for national 
contributions. The starving niitlioiis have 
no Eypt " where they can go and buy 
corn, that they may live and not die." 
From our granaiy of abundance let us 
pour forth supplies. Ireland has •stronf' 
claims upon the sympathy of the United 
States. There are few of our citizens who 
have not Irish blood in their veins. That 
country has sent out a large portion of the 
emigrants who have added inimbers to our 
population, industry and enterprise to our 
capital, and the elements of power and 
prosperity which are doing that mighty 
work, from the Atlantic to the Pacilic, that 
is already exciting the admiration of the 
Old World, and will stimulate by its ex- 
ample the exertions of the New. O.ir 
population of Irish descent have fought 
the battles of the country with as much 
zeal and bravery as any class of citizens. 
And from the heights of Abraham where 
]\Iontgomery fell, to the walls of Monterey, 
their blood has been poured out like water 
in the cause of liberty. We can now send 
to Ireland, not indeed what she has sent to 
us, her children — those we cannot {)art 
with — but food for their relatives, our 
friends, upon whom the hand of God is 
heavily laid. In a petition presented yes- 
terday by the Senator from New York, 
was a suggestion which I am gratified to 
find embodied in the bill reported by the 
Senator of Kentucky, and which I should 
be happy to see carried into ellect — to 
employ, in the transportation of provisions, 
such of the armed lihips of the United 



States n« are not rr.piirod for the oppmlionn 
of war. It would be a i)eautiful tribute to 
the ailvaiicing spirit of thu a;;e. The mes- 
senger of doallj would thus become a mes- 
senger of life ; the agents o( destruction, 
agents of preservation ; and our eagle, 
winch has Jlown above them, and carried 
our arms to the very coast of Ireland, would 
thus become the signal «)f hope, where it 
has been the signal of defiance. I shall 
lend the bill my .supjiort with groat plea- 
sure. 



Cell. Cass's Bjiiipatliy for the opinc^bed an 1 
flullcrlut;. 

It will be recollected that about the 1st 
of May last, the cry of distress and wail- 
ing reached our happy shores from Yuca- 
tan, accompanied with the most awful ac- 
counts of the massacre of her citizens by 
the savages, and an earnest appeal to our 
government for relief. The President of 
the United Slates immediately sent a mes- 
sage to Congress, calling their attention 
to the subjeci. Gen. Cass on this, as on 
all other occasions, came promptly to the 
aid of sufl'ering humanilv. 

Kead the following eloquent extracts 
from his speech on that occasion. 

" The great points of the case are before »», 
and !he application now comes, not merply from 
the Vncatese commi'^sioner, hut from the lepsla- 
tive department of the Government in a solemn 
locree, and from the Kxecuiive o( the country. 
It IS a case of overwhclminij, overpowerin;;, nc- 
ceFsity. While we are dtliberating, the »»d ac- 
tion is going on ; and however prompt we may 
now be, we may not be prompt enough for the 
circumstances. The fate of the country may be 
deciled before we can send any lelief. At any 
rate, let us redeem ourselves from the reproach o'f 
indiilerence or unnecessary delay. This is one 
of those great cases for human iicJion whereto do 
\yel; 13 to do promptly, and where too much cau- 
tion will show tliat we are uiieipial to the position 
in which we find ourstlves placed. 

I need not recall the condition of Yucatan. 
The message itself, witli the accomjianyin^ 
documents, the information wliicii daily reach- 
es us though the public journaN, and the dis- 
cussions here, have put us in possession of 
the true state of things in that unhappy coun- 
try. It is divivled l)ctwcen the two rues of 
Spanish and of aboriginal descent, anil the 
Indians have obtained the superiority — have 
descended from (lie high country lipon ilie 
low, and arc driving the white race before 
ihem to death oi to the ocean. 1-. is a war. 



8 



if that can be called a war, where the fight- 
ing seems to be all upon one side, of destruc- 
tion and externiiiiation. Not figurately, be- 
cause here and there a man is killed or a 
plantation laid waste, but literally, rigidly ; 
tor nothing is spared, neither man nor his 
works, and fire and the sword accompany 
the Indian army, and do their work without 
pity as without remorse. Aid, under such 
circumstances, is a duty of humanity, which 
no one in this country calls in question But, 
owing to the peculiar features of our own 
Constitution, many doubt whether this Gov- 
ernment has the power to grant it. Though 
I believe, sir, we may clearly interpose in 
such an extreme case of national sutiering, 
as was done many years since for Caraccas; 
yet, as this question does not lie in my way, 
i shall not turn aside to seek it. All may 
hold the claims of humanity to be a strong in- 
ducement for action, when conjoined with 
other motives of interposition, which render 
onr action equally constitutional and expe- 
dient. This question intimately connects 
itself with the prosperity and (I had almost 
said) the safety of our country. We have 
reached one of those opochs in the progress 
of nations to which the histoiian looks back 
with interest, and whence he traces much of 
the good or evil they encounter in their 
career— one of those epochs which impress 
themselves upon the character of a country, 
and when vigorous counsels are equally dic- 
tated by justice and by wisdom, while timl4 
and irresolute measures are sure to be fol- 
lowed by political weakness and by the con- 
tempt oi' the world. » » # * » 
I now come, Mr. President, to other and 
perhaps graver considerations, directly or in- 
directly involved in this question. The Gulf 
of Mexico is the re.servoir of the great river 
of the North American continent, whose im- 
portance it is as diilicult to realize, us it is the 
value of the country which must seek an out- 
let to the ocean through its waters. That 
country is nearly equal to all Kuropc in ex- 
tent, embracing twenty -five degrees of lati 
lude and thirty-five of longitude upon the 
great circles of the globe. The vast basin 
extends from the summit of the Alleghany to 
the summit of the Ilocky Mountains, and its 
poptdation now equals eight millions. The 
man yet lives who was living when almost the 
first tree fell before the woodman's stroke in 
this great domain, and the man is now living 
who will live io see it contain one hundred 
inillionB of people. Already the hardy west- 
ern pioneer h'i» crossed the barri'^r of the 
Rocky Mountains, and the forest is giving 
way before human industry upon the very 
shores that look out upon China and Japan. 
The Mississippi is the great artery of this 



reg-ion ; which, drawing its supplies from the 
fountains of the north, pours them into the 
ocean under a tropical sun, and drains, in its 
own course, and in the course of its mighty 
tributaries — tributaries in name, but equals 
and rivals in fact — the most magnificent em- 
pire, which God, in his providence, has ever 
given to man to reclaini and enjoy. I have 
myself descended that great stream tivo thou- 
sand miles in a hirch canoe, admiring the coun- 
try throHgh which it passes in a state of na- 
ture, and lost in the contemplation of what 
that country is to be when subdued by human 
industry. * * * # * « 

Mr. President, great interests are committ- 
ed to our keeping. We are not, we cannot 
be isolated. The eldest of the indedendent 
States upon this continent — and, I may say, 
without the charge of national partiality, the 
most advanced in civilization and improve- 
ment — our course and our example must ex- 
ert a decisive influence for evil or for good, 
upon its future destiny. » * * # 

Something has been said, and harshly 
said, of an emergency in this case, and 
something more of a crisis--of war, and of 
its cost and consequences. Well, sir, there 
are cases of emergency, both in the lives of 
communities and of individuals, which de- 
mand speedy and decisive action, and this is 
one of them — cases when promptness '- ^^■ 
dom, and when timid coun-'., j,,^ ^^^^^ ^^ 
bring dishonor. '(^ not disaster. As to a crisis, 
the \vord has become so familiar to my ears, 
and the idea to my mind, that both have lonij- 
since lost their terrors. I have been upon the 
statue of action almost half a centuary, and 
during the fifty years which composed it we 
have had a crisis at least fifty times ; some 
graver and some lighter, but each grave 
enough, in the opinion of the prophets of 
political evil, to destroy our Cons'itution, and 
with it the last hopes of liberty. But we hive 
gone on increasing in numbers and improve- 
ment, and in all the elements of power and 
prosperity, with an accelerated pace before 
unknown in the history of the world. 

When many of the powerful governmnnt.s of (he 
world are falliiij; around us ; when society seem? 
elsewhere almost in a state of dissolution ; while 
our institutions are not only unajsailod, but, to all 
human appearance, beyond the leac!: of assault; 
while our government is growing stiv/Usjor in the 
affticticns of the usoplp, as time and > xperionce 
multiply the piooi's that it is best adaptvd t > our 
condition, and that it brings with it as £!;reat a 
measure of political happiness as is probably coui- 
patible with human society. * * '* 

I have yet to see the first raati in this iiroad land 
who professes a desire to exchange ihis govern- 
ment for ar.other ; and in the whok range of 
hurnun ex|)erience. where can as much be else- 
where said with truth J 



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